Not Me
by Ceara Ivory
Summary: Inspired by the song Not Me sung by Heather Headley, Adam Pascal, and Sherie Rene Scott, a love story of epic proportions unfolds.Love is proved to indeed be the greatest power when Voldemort meets a young muggle woman, while in the guise of a young man i
1. Chapter 1

Not Me

Written by Chibikan

Summary: Inspired by the song Not Me sung by Heather Headley, Adam Pascal, and Sherie Rene Scott, a love story of epic proportions unfolds. In Not Me, love is proved to indeed be the greatest power when Voldemort meets a young muggle woman, while in the guise of a young man in the small market of the small Little Hangleton. Can he win the love of this young girl, will his heart be changed by the endeavor, or is their failure Written in the Stars.

Author's WARNING: MAJOR AU! There will be a lot that does not agree with CANON! There will be much OOCness (imagine a lovesick Voldemort if you will)! If this does NOT sit well with any of you, please, hit the back button near the left hand corner of your browser. Any flames concerning the AU nature or the OCCness of this fic will be ignored for you have been warned.

Original Character introduction:

Lucinda Duthridge: A young adult female caring for her sickly mother in the small town of Little Hangleton. Known through the town for her beautiful voice, and captures the heart of even the Dark Lord Voldemort with said voice. Appearance: Long golden blonde hair, bright glimmering blue eyes, likes to wear peasant frocks (much like Briar Rose from Disney's Sleeping Beauty)

And now, on with the show……

Prologue:

Little Hangleton wasn't a pleasant town, not in the least. It was often visited by rains and storms, making the landscape very dreary indeed. Many of the people were cold, probably from only getting a glimpse or two of sunshine a year.

One inhabitant was particularly cold, in fact one could quickly, easily and accurately draw the conclusion that he was evil, maybe even demon possessed. This man resided in the largest home in the town. It was one of those big, creepy, houses that one only sees in a horror movie. In fact, one could probably expect Freddy or Jason to answer to answer this door. The man himself was just as fearsome with a ash-white snake-like face and wicked red eyes. Cloaked in a massive set of black robes, this man sat in a comfortable looking forest-colored arm chair.

Voldemort at the moment, had a blistering headache. He'd just returned from the Department of Mysteries feeling weaker than an overcooked noodle. Tonight had NOT gone well. Yes, the animagus Sirius Black was dead, he could consider that a partial victory, but it wasn't enough. He had come for a prophecy, and to kill Harry Potter and had succeeded at neither. What was he doing wrong? What was he missing? What wasn't he getting?

Just as he was starting to contemplate it, a sound reached his very sensitive ear. What was that? He sat up straighter, straining to here. It was coming from outside. He got to his feet and hurried to his balcony. He saw the faint signs of sunlight, he'd no idea how late or rather early it was. He heard the sound again, calling his attention to the east. He could hear it better now, it was singing. The silvery voice of a young maiden. He had to find out who it was. Why, it had to be a muggle naturally, but for a muggle to have such a voice, why to him it was extraordinary. Grabbing his long billowing cloak from the coat stand he donned it and hurried out of the manor, down the walk and through the gate.

The sweet sound grew closer as he entered the village. No one seemed to be out. Of course they were probably still asleep. But one was not. He knew it. Finally he found the source. In the town square at a water pump was a beautiful young woman. The colors of the morning sunrise gleamed off her golden hair. A shawl was wrapped around her shoulders to keep the cool morning air off her.

From under his cloak the muggle-hating dark lord felt an awkward smile form on his face. He was lost in her beauty. Staying in the shadow of a building, he watched as she finished her business of filling a pail with cold water and then left, disappearing into the door of a nearby cottage. What was this stirring feeling in his gut. His heart was pounding, and he had to release a breath he hadn't even known he'd been holding. His stomach felt weird and he felt a giddiness burning inside him that he hadn't felt since he was a teenager. What was this feeling?

AN: Yes, I told you mass OCCness, mass AU-ness. Consider me a strong advocate for "love in odd places" stories. Tell me what you'd like to see in this, I do take requests within reason.


	2. Chapter 2

Not Me

Written by Chibikan

DISCLAIMER: The only thing I own are maybe a few OC's and you'll know them the minute you meet them.

Chapter One:

The red-eyed man returned to his study in his manor. His heart was still beating a rapid tattoo inside his chest. A small pudgy man with a silver hand hurried to his side carrying a tray of food, not unlike a house-elf.

"Master! You have returned!" He had been all too aware that his master had left the house for a brief time. He hurriedly placed the tray on the table next to the fine chair. He got a glimpse of his master's face. He had never seen a twinkle in his master's eye, like he did today, nor had he ever seen his master smile a genuine smile that had nothing to do with the death of one of his foes or of a muggle or muggleborn. It was a little disturbing. "Ummm, I brought you, your breakfast."

The distracted red-eyes seemed to regain focus. "Oh Wormtail, thank you."

"You're welcome Master," He said back, automatically before doing a mental double take. "As you predicted, Master, the ones who were imprisoned, they have escaped."

"Thank you Wormtail. Yes, I knew they'd escape. Very good, very good. This pleases me."

This sentence did little to quell the fear inside the pudgy man. It was a little more like the Dark Lord he knew, but the tone was too congenial. "Ummm, would you like to call a meeting?"

Voldemort appeared to think and think hard. And a light bulb appeared to go on in his head. Wormtail could not help but wonder what his master was thinking. "Yes, actually. Send them owls and tell them to apparate to this address at once."

That was definitely out of character. But instead of testing this strange attitude, Wormtail decided to hurry out to do as told. At least he'd made it out without a cruciatus curse thrown at him.

Meanwhile, Harry woke up in his bed in the Hospital Wing. He felt a hole in his heart bigger than anything. His godfather was dead. How was he going to get over this? He felt like crying again but just before the tears began to fall he was hit with an odd sensation. His heart seemed to be working overtime, his stomach was tossing and turning, his head felt light, but…..the thing that made it odd was the fact that he felt happy about it. What the heck. All feelings of grief disappeared

The meeting began with all the death eaters very confused. They never before had been given an address to apparate to. The Hogwart's Potions Master, a spy for Dumbledore, was especially surprised. What was going on, what was their master thinking? What was running through his head.

"My followers, I'm sure many of you are confused. Many are probably scared of punishment for last night 's little fiasco. But this meeting is not to punish anyone. Last night was actually fairly successful. The ex-auror Sirius Black is dead and Harry Potter is probably nothing more than a weeping pile of goo right now. I count that as a job well done. No, we didn't get the prophecy, but that is all well and good, after all it was made by that old bat Trelawney, correct Severus?" At the man's confused nod, Voldemort continued. "And it wasn't your fault anyway, Bella. That clumsy boy of Dumbledore's dropped it."

Several of the inner circle began to discreetly back away. Something was wrong here. Something was very, very wrong. And they wanted to be far away when the shit hit the fan.

"Well, that is what I really wanted to say. You are all dismissed. Oh, except you Lucius, do stick around."

As directed the blonde stayed while everyone else apparated away. He had to admit, he was more than just a little wary. Not only was the failure the night before mostly his fault (even though he said that there was no need for punishment) but the Dark Lord was acting strange. He remained silent and waited for his master's orders.

Voldemort grinned, already sending a red flag. "Lucius, you are the best at finding out personal information about a person, is that right?" For lack anything to say, Lucius simply nodded. "There is a young woman in the village. I wish you to find out everything you can about her. She has long gold-blonde hair, blue eyes, has a sort of an Audrey Hepburn face."

"Ummm, what sort of information are you looking for. Strategic information is Severus' field."

"Yes, Severus is best at that and would have been my choice if I was looking for that. What I'm looking for is specifics. Her name, how old is she, when's her birthday, what things does she think, what doesn't she like, her family life, that sort of thing."

If Lucius had not had his mask on, one would have seen his eyes go wide. Why would Voldemort want that information. It would no good if he planned on abducting and torturing her. But who was he to question the Dark Lord. "Yes Master, I will go at once."

AN: End of chapter one, not a whole lot going on yet. But there will be much going on in later chapters. Get ready for a new Voldemort, even more so than this chapter suggests. Cupid's arrow found the bull's eye.

COMING SOON: Voldemort finds out more about the woman, and comes up with a plan to win her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Not Me

Written by Chibikan

AN: Thought I should mention that my interpretation of Little Hangleton is much like any creepy town found in fairytales. There will be very few mentions of modern muggle conveniences.

Chapter Two

Lucius took on the look of a muggle reporter, his hair pulled back in a sleek, handsome ponytail. He had decided that seeing as how he knew nothing of anyone in this town, the best way would be to just try and find the girl and talk to her directly. Walking into the now, much more awake, village, Lucius kept his eyes open for the girl matching the description his master had given him.

As he reached the village square, he saw a group of young ladies talking. Each carried a basket of items, presumably from the market. He smiled when he saw the Dark Lord's target. She was walking in the middle of the threesome, giggling at some joke they'd shared.

"Oh Lucy, you simply must…" One urged, a woman with short chocolate hair. "You simply must do it!"

"But I can't, my grandmother needs me here with here. I can't afford to go away to London." replied the center one.

"Take her with you," Argued the third, a fiery redhead. "they have doctors there. This is too good an opportunity. You could be the first in our town to go to the big city and make a success of yourself."

Lucy replied again. "We can't afford that. We can't afford the doctors in London. You know that Martha. We can barely afford the opinion of our own. And the trip itself could kill her. She's all I have left."

Lucius decided it was time to swoop in. He came up to her. "Excuse me, miss, may I have a few words?"

The blonde jumped as he approached her. "Who are you?"

"I am a reporter for the London Times. I travel from town to town, looking for the most interesting person to interview." Malfoy lied.

The other two giggled. They apparently had found something about him humorous. Muggles, he thought exasperatedly. The one they had called Lucy seemed thoughtful.

"Well, I don't know, I need to get home soon…."

"Oh, it won't take long at all. Do allow me this chance, dear child." He offered his arm kindly.

Martha pushed her. "Go for it, Lucy,"

That seemed to be all the encouragement and the young blonde went with Lucius. But only after she got a promise that it would take no longer than ten minutes. Her grandmother needed her.

Not too long after, Lucius returned to Riddle Manor, gratefully removing his disguise. Voldemort heard him and confronted him.

"Okay, her name is Lucinda Duthride, known as Lucy to her friends and family. Speaking of which, her family consists of her one elderly, frail, sickly grandmother. She enjoys music and art and was even offered a chance to sing at the Queen's Gala in London this summer." He went on almost without a breath. "But she refused to stay with her grandmother. She also likes watching the moon rise in the late evening and taking long walks by the stream in the forest. Oh, and she's twenty-one." Lucius finally concluded. "Master, may I inquire as to where this is going? What plan do you have for this girl?"

"No plan, Lucius. Well, not one that you're thinking of." The cold-hearted man smiled. So she was twenty-one, much younger than he, but…..he could change that. "I need to speak with Severus now. Lucius, send for him will you. The floo is already connected to his fires. Do be quick about it."

Ten minutes later, Severus Snape, the potions master of Hogwarts was before him. Snape kneeled before the Dark Lord. Lucius had not said what this about, simply said that master was acting strangely. "You summoned me, my lord?"

Voldemort eyed the potions master. "Yes, Severus. I need you to brew a potion for me. One that will be permanent, and will de-age me to 24."

Snape could not hide his surprise. "May I ask why, my lord?"

The smile on the man's face sent chills down Snape's spine. "You may ask if this works. Do you think you could have it ready in an hour?"

That was again an odd request. Yes, request, not order, but a request. A part of him wanted to ask who it was who was impersonating the Dark Lord and where they'd put him. But yes, he answered, he could have it ready in an hour. What was Voldemort up to? Should he warn Dumbledore?

AN: Done finally with another chapter. The de-aging potion? Several reasons, he's already robbing the cradle, he doesn't need to flaunt it, and not to mention, his face scares babies. We're not going to Phantom of the Opera after all.


	4. Chapter 4

Not Me

By Chibikan

Chapter 3

Severus, as promised delivered the potion to the dark lord. A feeling of pride filled his being. He remembered why he had ever joined the Dark Lord in the first place. He had been promised a place to practice his potion-making. Potions was his life and he had fallen for the lie. But now, something was different about the Dark Lord. He could almost feel a light shining through the soul of the wicked man. Could he dare to hope? Was a change coming?

Voldemort grinned his thanks, and this time it did not frighten the man. "Very good Severus. I knew I could count on you." He put the vial to his lips and swallowed the foul stuff. "Blech….but….maybe next time, you should consider flavorings." The change was instant. The snake-like form melted into a young man of twenty-five. Black hair, blue eyes, perfectly pressed robes, he was a young man again. Voldemort moved to a mirror and examined his appearance. "Perfect, Severus. You've outdone yourself this time. You will be rewarded for your success, in due time."

"Your kind words are reward enough, my lord." Severus replied, once more kneeling.

"You are dismissed Severus. And I have things to do."

Snape did as asked and returned to Hogwarts. The Headmaster was the first confront him.

"Severus, what did Voldemort want?" Dumbledore asked. Always to the point, as he understood Snape despised pity for what he had to do.

The Potions Professor shook his head, more in confusion than anything. "He wanted a….a de-aging potion."

The Headmaster's eyes widened, but never did the spark in them die. "A de-aging potion? Did he say why?"

Again a shake of the head. "No…..no….but….he actually thanked me, and I have reason to believe he was sincere, promising reward. Said I'd outdone myself, but did suggest I consider flavoring the potions. It was so strange, he was……..do I dare say it….he was smiling….and for once….there wasn't an ounce of evil plot behind his eyes." Snape pondered to his employer, his protector. He watched as Dumbledore took on a thoughtful look. And he too knew that Dumbledore was wondering. What was going on?

Voldemort strolled through the village once more that morning. He, himself, found a few strange things happening. He couldn't stop fiddling with his hair, looking into almost every reflective surface he could find. He kept thinking of things to say, something to catch her attention. And he was nervous, what if he was rejected. What if she would want nothing to do with him?

And then there she was, at a small stand making purchases. She was speaking to the stall keeper. He tried to listen but he couldn't hear.

"Okay, this is it, I just walk up to her and I say….ummm….ummm…" He was stuck. He didn't know what to say. He tried to propel himself forward, but for some odd reason his feet wouldn't obey. What was he thinking? He could never….he'd never be good enough for someone as lovely as she. But…he wasn't a coward, he couldn't back down. He had to go talk to her. But how? What should he say? What should he do? He'd never done this before, so how was he supposed to know. Finally making the decision just to wing it, he turned around to compose himself. After making double sure that he looked alright, he turned back only to knock into…...her. Her purchases fell to the ground as the collided. His eyes went wide with embarrassment. "Oh my…!"

The blonde woman fell to her knees to try and salvage her groceries. "I'm so sorry, sir, I didn't see you…" She began rambling.

Voldemort found that he could only do the logical thing. Normally, he'd have killed her, even though it had been his fault. But, he didn't want to. "No, no, it was my fault, here let me help you." He insisted as he dropped down beside her and helped her to gather her groceries, discreetly using magic to repair any damage done. He reached over to pick up an orange that had rolled to one side. In doing so, and not seeing what was happening, their hands touched just as his palm touched the fruit. They looked up at each other. Tom blushed a deep red as he looked into her cool blue eyes. He felt something inside his start to crack. He wanted to stay lost in those eyes that seemed to melt him from the inside out.

"Ummm, thanks…." The girl began. "Oh, by the way, my name is Lucinda, Lucinda Duthridge."

He was snapped out of his trance. "I….I…I," He paused, he couldn't tell her his chosen name. She'd never understand, she'd probably laugh at him. After all, Voldemort was not a normal name, especially not to the muggles. "I'm Tom….Tom Riddle. It's a pleasure to meet you, milady." He remembered his etiquette and took her hand to place a kiss upon it.

Now, apparently, it was her turn to blush. "The pleasure is all mine, Tom."

AN: FINALLY!!! I know it's been awhile. It's been awhile for all of them. I promise, I'm trying here. I've just been super super busy. Well R&R please. I do like reading what you folks have to say.


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